Untitled
by PlumPocky
Summary: Yubaba tries to keep Chihiro at the bath house. Who will bail her out? Where will Haku go after quitting as Yubaba's apprentice? Inspired by a thought I had while trying to do homework :D


"Which of these pigs are your parents?" Yubaba asked ambitiously. Chihiro's mouth went dry. She only had one shot at this. Although she's known her parents all her life, who knows how many tricks that old woman's got under her sleeve? She glanced at Haku, who gave her an encouraging nod. Wiping her sweaty palms on the sides of her shorts, she looked as hard as she could at the two rows of pigs in hopes that there would be some kind of sign that would give away the right answer.

Nothing happened. Chihiro panicked for a moment. _Why is nothing speaking out to me?_

But then it came to her. The sign was just that! It was all a trick. "Is there a mistake here?" she asked, "None of them are my parents."

Yubaba looked her right in the eye and seemed like she was going to swallow her whole. "Are you _sure_ about that?" she inquired. One word, a yes or a no would determine her and her parents' fate. Did she dare answer? A tiny part of her wished that time would just stop here so that she wouldn't have to make this decision. But of course, that wouldn't be happening any time soon. "Well?" Yubaba prompted.

"I _think_ that's enough," a voice rang out from behind them. The contract in Yubaba's hand exploded. Chihiro's head whipped back to see a young woman in her early twenties with dark brown hair pulled back in three sections. She had a solid build and her azure eyes held an air of power.

"Korra!" Chihiro exclaimed and ran to embrace her older sister figure as relief flooded her being. Their parents had been friends for years before she was born and she's always looked up to Korra as a hero. She's never been so happy to see someone familiar before.

"Avatar Korra," Yubaba addressed her cordially, although she inwardly cursed at the avatar's untimely appearance.

"The human and spirit worlds may be connected now, but that doesn't mean that you can go around brainwashing little girls," Korra chastised, unamused. The worlds have been united for a few years now, and there was still tension between the humans and the spirits. Generally, they were all okay, but spirits like Yubaba liked throwing things out of balance for their own gain. Sometimes, Korra felt like some kind of babysitter, telling spirits to drop this and humans to quit that.

"I'm taking Chihiro back to the human world," Korra stated. It was not in any way a request for permission. Yubaba's face contorted inelegantly and was about to say something when Korra looked at her. "Gotta problem with that?" she challenged, raising her eyebrows.

"No," the old spirit woman sighed in defeat. Chihiro felt a rush of pride at her idol's authority. Korra turned around and led her away, but before crossing the bridge she turned back around and made an obnoxious gesture with her fingers. "I got my eye on you," she warned. She was definitely going to have to keep tabs on this one.

As they left, Korra noticed that Chihiro was holding hands with a spirit but decided not to question it.

* * *

When they approached the dry river bend, Chihiro pulled away and faced her spirit friend. "What are going to do now Haku?" she asked.

"I'm going to go back there and have a talk with Yubaba. I'm going to quit being her apprentice," he replied with a determined look in his eye, causing little girl's eyes to light up.

"Then you can come with us to the human world!" If she had a friend by her side, then moving to a new place won't be so bad after all.

"I'm afraid not. This is as far as I can go. My river's gone, if I go to the human world I'll start fading away," the spirit boy explained apologetically when Chihiro's face fell. A spirit with no purpose would forget himself and cease to exist in the spirit world. Although with all his heart he wished he could accompany the girl to her world.

"But what are you going to do here?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I got my name back thanks to you. I'll figure out where to go," Haku reassured. Deep down though, he had absolutely no idea what would happen afterward. He's never done anything without his river or Yubaba before. For the first time in years the spirit felt a tinge of nervousness for the future.

Chihiro looked up at her Korra hopefully, praying that she could find a way to help her friend. The Avatar's expression was thoughtful. "I suppose I could arrange something," she said, obviously still thinking it over as she spoke, "but it's going to have to take some time."

"That won't be necessary," a gentle voice cut in. For the second time that day Chihiro turned back to see a woman floating in the air with hair as white as snow in an ethereal white dress. Both Korra and Haku bowed respectfully, and Chihiro hastily copied their gesture. "Yue," Korra greeted with a friendly smile on her face.

The spirit landed gracefully on the ground and bowed back in return, "It's good to see you Avatar Korra. I'm here to offer the Kohaku River an apprenticeship under Tui and La," Yue explained, "he has shown great bravery and kindness and has proven his worth to work under them." Everyone's eyes fell on the mentioned river spirit, who looked surprised himself. It wasn't every day that the Moon and Ocean would take in a random spirit. Haku got down on one knee before Yue and bowed his head, "It would me my honor to accept the offer," he said.

Yue proceeded to place a hand on his hand. There was a flash of soft white light that dissipated into the air. Nothing seemed to have changed physically, but Chihiro knew that her friend has finally found a place in his world now.

As he stood up, she asked hopefully, "Will I ever see you again?"

"Of course," he replied. And he meant it too, he would make sure to find her again no matter what it takes as long as she'll wait for him.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"It is time we part ways now," Yue announced, although she seemed a bit reluctant to interrupt their moment as she was reminded of a boy she used to know. "Take care Avatar Korra," the moon spirit nodded as she floated back into the air, Haku following in dragon form. "I'll see you again," Korra said, waving at their receding forms.

Chihiro could feel the prickling of tears in her eyes as she watched them fly away, her vocal cords refused to cooperate. She would never forget the sight of the enchanting white lady in the air circled by the majestic dragon, and she would never forget the adventure she had in the spirit world. Before they disappeared, she finally got her voice to work. "Goodbye Haku, I'll always remember you!" she shouted, waving her arms wildly in the air hoping that somehow he would hear her. _I'll think of you every day_, she added mentally. And then they were gone.

A strong hand clapped her on the shoulder, pulling her back into reality. "Alright then kiddo, let's get you home before your parents freak."

Chihiro suddenly remembered her parents in the midst of all the chaos in her mind. "My parents! Are they okay?"

"Just fine," Korra reassured, "they're on the other side of the river, and their memory's been wiped."

"Oh," Chihiro replied quietly with a sigh of relief. She reached for the Avatar's hand, "Let's go then."

They walked in silence for a while until Korra decided to ask if she had a thing for river spirits.

* * *

Every night after her adventure, Chihiro gazes up at the moon before going to bed, dreaming of a reunion with the boy who helped her through the Spirit World. And on nights when the world is bathed in the soft light of the full moon, she could almost make out the silhouette of a dragon in the sky.

* * *

**Not meant to be too much of a serious fic here. I just wanted to throw the idea out. Should I write a second chapter about their actual reunion?**

**This takes place years after Harmonic Convergence where humans can cross into the spirit world freely. Of course, most people don't really know the ins and outs of it all, and it would a take a very long time to everyone to get used to this change. Also, as Yue gave her life force back to Tui, they're part of one being according to my interpretation. However, Yue can be seen in the spirit world as a separate identity, the representative of the moon? Bah! Spirits aren't supposed to make sense to humans anyway! It's too difficult to explain.**

**Reviews for the desperate?**


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